Stephen A. Smith blamed for making Molly Qerim’s departure from ESPN more difficult.

Stephen A. Smith Sparks Reactions After Molly Qerim’s Departure

Stephen A. Smith has a knack for stirring things up. Recently, the “Speakeasy” podcast, hosted by Emmanuel Acho, Kieran Hickey Semple, and Recien McCoy, took some playful jabs at him following the unexpected exit of popular “First Take” host, Molly Qerim.

During the podcast, the atmosphere was lively. When a clip featuring Smith discussing Qerim’s departure was played, someone remarked, “The tone is wild! Seriously, can you be straightforward? Your tone—like when you said, ‘You know, the details aren’t entirely business, I don’t know’—just made it worse.” It seemed that Smith’s vague responses stirred the pot even more.

Acho humorously added, “Here’s the thing—don’t give me more details. Just tell me what you shouldn’t. He mentioned that she suddenly resigned; that’s the story, yet you go on about it.”

Hickey-Semple chimed in with his own observations. It was clear that Smith hinted at a deeper narrative after the Sports Business Journal reported Qerim’s exit on Monday night. Qerim had shared an emotional letter on Instagram, expressing surprise over how the news emerged.

The initial report indicated that both parties were negotiating a contract before the abrupt split at year-end. Yet, viewers noticed Qerim’s absence from Tuesday’s show, with Smith confirming her resignation during the broadcast.

On that Tuesday, Smith took the helm of “First Take” in her absence and later shared insights on his YouTube channel. He mentioned, “Honestly, it’s not your business to know all the details. It wasn’t like I had the full picture. There were contract negotiations in play. ESPN didn’t want to lose her, but ultimately, she made her choice effective immediately.”

Smith expressed his discontent, stating, “I’m not happy about this. I appreciate what she brought to the table, to the show, and how much she contributed. I will miss her. It’s really that simple.”